Resistive Switching Characteristics in High-k Dielectric Thin Films
Author | : Muhammad Nawaz |
Publisher | : |
Total Pages | : 232 |
Release | : 2012 |
ISBN-10 | : OCLC:953303148 |
ISBN-13 | : |
Rating | : 4/5 (48 Downloads) |
Book excerpt: Hafnium oxide (HfO2) and hafnium silicate (HfxSi1-x02) thin films are of interest as replacement for Si02 in future microelectronic devices due to their high dielectric constant (k) and better thermal stability, respectively. These properties make hafnium oxide a potential candidate for the fabrication of integrated planar waveguide devices or structures that combine electronic and photonic functionality on a single chip. However, one potential limitation of the material is that it crystallizes at relatively low temperatures, ~300-400°C. This can result in increased leakage currents in device applications due to grain boundary conduction. However, the crystallization temperature of such films can be increased by the incorporation of nitrogen within the film or by alloying hafnium oxide with strong network formers such as silicon dioxide (silica). A comprehensive study of phase separation, crystallization and resistive switching in such materials is done for their effective memory application. It is also examined the effect of deposition and processing conditions on the refractive indices and extinction coefficients of hafnium oxide and Hf silicates.